Yesterday marked the terminal twenty-four threescore minutes menses of canning...for this week, anyway. As promised, it was a shorter twenty-four threescore minutes menses because this Smoky, Spicy, Skillet Tomato Jam was cooked downwards inwards a skillet. Geez, I mightiness exercise all my canning this way. The wider the pot, the shallower the depth, in addition to the quicker it cooks down. This jam was all cooked downwards inwards less than one-half an hour. When it was all processed, I had 4-1/2 one-half pint jars.
It tastes merely every bit the cry implies...smoky in addition to spicy. This forenoon I cleaned out several leftovers, including some fish from lastly night's dinner in addition to made this sort of scrambled egg/fish taco/cheesy/onion pita staff of life breakfast sandwich. I can't recommend it. On the other hand, it was an fantabulous vehicle for the Lycopersicon esculentum jam, which came to the rescue in addition to saved the breakfast day. Possibly I should fashion some petty capes for these jars in addition to telephone telephone them superheroes.
Even though the canning episode from yesterday was over fairly quickly, I spent my fourth dimension betwixt stirring sessions watering the annuals. While I was outside, I noticed our lamentable petty apple tree tree. We've been threatening to accept it out for years. The entirely argue it hasn't been taken out is that it's form of off yesteryear itself, in addition to it isn't bothering anybody, in addition to thence it's depression on the listing of things to uproot in addition to destroy. (As I've mentioned before, afterwards living inwards our household for sixteen years, we're at the "slash in addition to burn" phase of gardening. The one-time iris bed tin give notice attest to that.)
So anyway...I'm gazing at the lamentable apple tree tree, lofting insults inwards its direction, when what to my wondering eyes should appear? Hold on there...is that an apple?
Holy $hit! It IS an apple. And lookie there...there's some other one!
And another!
And await at these! All-in-all, I counted vii apples on our scrawny petty tree. Holy Moly. What's upwards amongst the deer? Why haven't they eaten them?
So, whoa. That was something. Here's the affair almost this tree. When nosotros bought it, it was grafted to host 5 dissimilar apples, which was likely utilization of what doomed it. All but this ane petty stem receive got died off now. When nosotros planted our fruit trees dorsum inwards 2004, I created a petty "legend" that I've saved inwards my documents folder all these years. Here it is...it must receive got been a "fanciful" twenty-four threescore minutes menses when I created it.
At the overstep is the 100-acre wood. George in addition to I used to walk at that topographic point on summertime days. Now, I can't larn the kitties to larn amongst me whatever more. So anyway...you tin give notice come across the 2 cherry trees at that topographic point to the left. The outset Black Tartarian nosotros planted died, but it's been replaced amongst a second. It nearly died too, but every bit yous know, it produced a bounty of cherries this year. Also, on the right, you'll come across a nectarine tree. It died too. There inwards the middle are the dissimilar apple tree varieties on the apple tree tree. Given that, I'm guessing these apples we're seeing right away are either the Melrose or the Lodi variety. Checking inwards amongst my friend Google, Melrose apples await similar this:
in addition to Lodi apples await similar this:
The Melrose apple tree is a pop dessert variety. Holding upwards their shape good when cooked they are perfect for utilization inwards pies, cobblers in addition to galettes. Hollow in addition to create total amongst sweetness or savory stuffing for baked apples. Layer slices amongst pear inwards a tart or atop a pizza. Their sweetness flavour is amplified when cooked every bit well. Add to batter for bread, muffins in addition to cookies to add together sweetness in addition to moisture. Sautee or roast in addition to serve every bit a topping or accompaniment for pork in addition to chicken. Peel in addition to irksome laid upwards to brand sauces, soups in addition to preserves.
Okay...well, if we're gonna receive got merely ane form of apple, I'd similar a "dessert variety." You know we're fond of dessert hither at the Three Cats Ranch.
As for the cats of the Three Cats Ranch, it's also hot hither for them. Cats amongst dark fur in addition to dark spots receive got to hang out nether the trees when they're out inwards the sun. Cats are non fond of sunscreen, merely to live clear.
It's fifty-fifty worse when you're a by in addition to large dark cat.
We've been running the air-conditioning, which makes my basement sewing room closed to 2 degrees inwards a higher house freezing. After I had my domestic chores finished yesterday, I idea I mightiness larn a start on the oranges for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Instead, I decided to larn to the warmer upstairs where Eliza resides in addition to larn to operate quilting the Summer Holiday quilt. I'll bet yous forgot all almost this quilt, didn't you?
It was sandwiched for quilting to a greater extent than than a twelvemonth ago. I dear this petty quilt. It's ane of Lynette Anderson's designs from this book:
For this quilt, I'm keeping things simple. I'm using cotton fiber threads of similar colors...a Gutermann 50-weight inwards the bobbin, in addition to a YLI Soft Touch 60-weight on top. Why the departure yous ask? Because I receive got merely partial spools of each, in addition to I don't desire to run out on either overstep or bottom, if yous tin give notice follow my thinking. (Don't live surprised if yous can't.)
And I'm keeping the quilting unproblematic too...a diagonal grid inwards places, outlining the blocks, in addition to adding a few petty details inwards the embroidered blocks.
It's a small-scale quilt, in addition to thence it shouldn't accept also long. With the attention of my quilting furriend, it volition likely accept a petty longer. I had to encourage him to utilization the quilt inwards his chair for napping, rather than lying downwards on the quilt currently nether my needle.
Today I'll move on on amongst that. With it beingness such a hot day, nosotros receive got a boat outing planned on the river this afternoon. H5N1 few people volition live joining us there, in addition to it volition live a overnice agency to cool off on a hot day. Between right away in addition to thence I receive got ane housekeeping task, in addition to some irksome stitching, in addition to thence I'll larn dorsum to the quilting.
Also, yous mightiness divulge a novel gadget inwards my correct side bar. I'm participating inwards the Teal Mini Quilt Swap. It's a swap, but it's also a fundraiser for ovarian cancer research. Registration is going on correct now, but it'll live closing soon. You tin give notice click on that link to larn to a greater extent than information.